Jah'z has been across from The Elephant pub since before it lost its wheelbarrow. (If memory serves me right)
The owner must be doing something right as personally I've been here once a year for the last 7 or so years.
The menu is limited and doesn't change too much, occasionally dropping and adding an item. Even people with fussy tastes will find something that sparks the imagination.
Tonight we had a pumpkin risotto that even though we requested a smaller serving, it was a challenge to finish. The pine nuts and feta in the risotto give it a delightful creamy crunch combination.
I'd been told of the nights special, lamb shanks, and though I rarely have lamb it's description made it something I could not resist. It lived up to expectation, falling from the bone in delightful mouthwatering portions.
The wine list is large, but what is larger is the selection of wine not on the list.
This is where Jha'z steps apart from its peers. Personal service, slow, intimate, discussions with the owner and a chance to try a wine you'd never heard of before.
This is the option we take every time. We are yet to regret it. Telling the owner what we have ordered, asking for an off the wine list recommendation his eyes light up.
He breathes the wine.
Let that sink in.
He opens it but doesn't bring it to your table.
Time.
Patience.
This is what sets Jha'z apart.
With the wine comes conversation. This is a venue that is an extension of the owner. If you don't like talking to strangers, don't come here. You'll feel your meal is being interrupted, personally, we feel it's bring improved.
This visit we discussed Yugoslavia (where he came from at the age of 10), the Goodies, and The Black Forest in Germany.
To top the evening off he gave us a complimentary butterscotch schnapps unlike any we'd tried before, which resulted in a 5 min chat about how he encountered it in the first place.
This is not fast food
This is not a cookie cutter restaurant.
This is not about calorie counting.
This is all about enjoying conversation with your food.
This, is what Jha'z is about. read more